Da Nang’s high-performance sports affirm its position as one of the leading localities in the country. This success is thanks to the constant efforts of coaches and athletes in training and competition. Among them, Le Van Toan, a member of the city’s Pencak Silat team is known as one of the "golden faces", making Da Nang sports famous in domestic, regional and world arenas.

Le Van Toan is the "golden face" of Pencak Silat Da Nang. Photo: PHI NONG

Get along with Pencak silat

Meeting Toan at the Da Nang Athlete Training and Coaching Centre while preparing for the 2024 National Pencak Silat Championship, we can feel the will and determination of this athlete.

Despite being known as the "undefeated" in the over 95kg weight class in the national arena, Toan has never allowed himself to stop striving to break his limits. The clock struck 11:30am, more than an hour after the morning practice time, Toan was still absorbed in the lesson plan, showing his agility, dexterity and strength in the martial arts moves.

“Coming to Pencak Silat was “fate”, now it is “career”, so I told myself to always persevere, strive, and aim for new heights of glory. This is the only way for me to repay coaches' gratitude who devoted so much effort to guiding me”, Toan confided.

The word “fate” that Toan mentioned is a story that began in 2014. While hanging out with friends in the neighborhood, Toan dropped out of school in his first year of middle school.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dao who is Toan’s mother and living in Hoa Khe Ward, Thanh Khe District, said “At that time, Toan’s younger sister had a heart disease, my husband and I had to take her to Hue for treatment. At home, there was no one to supervise, so Toan skipped school and was addicted to playing games. While the family was worried, an acquaintance saw that Toan was tall, agile, and had introduced him to an archery teacher to learn. However, after a preliminary examination, the coach discovered that he was nearsighted, so he refused to accept him. After that, this person introduced Toan to coach Le Thi Hong Ngoan to practice Pencak Silat until now”.

After meeting Toan, with the experienced eyes of a professional, coach Le Thi Hong Ngoan realized that this boy had the potential to become a professional athlete, and came to his house to discuss taking him to practice at her own home. Starting with the basic movements to test his physical strength, Toan performed them all seriously and with great effort. After that, Hong Ngoan decided to bring him into the Da Nang youth Pencak silat team for centralised training at the Da Nang Sports and Gymnastics Training Centre, and proposed to sign a contract to compete for Da Nang from 2015.

Conquering the peak

Entering the professional path, Toan soon revealed his qualities, got along well with his teammates and quickly became an important member of the Da Nang Pencak silat team.

After one year of training, Toan was given the opportunity to compete, winning 2 bronze medals at the National Pencak Silat Championship and the National Cup in the over 95kg category. Gradually, Toan’s performance improved.

In 2017, Toan won a silver medal at the National Pencak Silat Championship and caught eyes of the scouts of the Viet Nam Pencak silat team. Toan recalled “In 2018, after going to Ha Noi to join the national team, I intended to leave many times because I was “overwhelmed” by the intensity of training. Partly because I saw that the seniors in the team were so good, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep up. However, with the encouragement of the coaches and my family, I stayed and trained until now.”

After the important milestone of being called up to the national Pencak Silat team, Toan’s talent gradually emerged, worthy of the title of “undefeated” in the over 95kg weight class. In 2018, Toan won a National Cup gold medal, a Asian gold medal, a National Sports Festival gold medal and a World Championship gold medal.

In 2019, Toan was honoured for five times at the Da Nang Sports’ Gold Medal Board as he took a National Cup gold medal, a National Championship gold medal, a Youth Championship gold medal, an Asian gold medal and a World Championship gold medal. In 2020 and 2021, sports competitions were interrupted due to Covid-19, Toan stopped competing.

In 2022, he won 5 gold medals in National Cup, National Sports Congress, SEA Games 31, Asian and World Championships. By 2023 and 2024, the young athlete added one more National Cup gold medal, two National Championship gold medals, one Asian gold medal, and one World gold medal to his collection of medals. With his outstanding achievements, Le Van Toan received 4 Certificates of Merit from the Prime Minister and many times received Certificates of Merit from the People's Committee of Da Nang City.

"The medals won are all valuable, but I am most proud of the times standing on the highest podium of glory in the world arena. I am very happy and proud because after my efforts, I have contributed to the overall success of Da Nang sports in particular and Viet Nam in general" Toan shared.

Looking forward to an explosive 2025

Modest and open-minded in everyday life, Le Van Toan is loved by his teammates. This young man is an example for young athletes of the Da Nang Pencak Silat team to learn from. Every time he returns from the national team, he always enthusiastically shares his experiences and supports his teammates in training. After the results achieved, Toan continues to look forward to an explosive competition in 2025.

“In 2025, I will participate in four major arenas, including national championship, SEA Games 33, and Asian and world championships. I will maintain serious training, aiming for the tournaments with the highest determination to win gold medals. Hopefully, my efforts and the medals I have won will somehow inspire young mathletes who are just starting to learn and practice Pencak Silat,” Toan confided.

Talking about her trainee Le Van Toan, coach Le Thi Hong Ngoan said “Toan was born in 1999, there are still many opportunities ahead. Hopefully, in the future, he will continue to maintain stable performance, bringing glory to Da Nang Sports in major tournaments.”

Reporting by PHI NONG - Translating by M.DUNG, V.DUNG